Wrecking apparatus



(R Mod m 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.,

M. BRABAW.

WRBGKING APPARATUS. 'N 0 v Patented July 25, 1893.

attorneys.

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S M BRABAW WREGKING APPARATUS.

Patented July 25', 1893.

WITNESSES 2 '5 dilomeys.

*UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MICHEAL BRABAW, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

WRECKING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 501,912, dated July 25,1893. Application filed December 12, 1892- $erial No. 454,883- (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, MIOHEAL BRABAW, a citizen of the United States,residing at Detroit, county of Wayne, State of Michigan, have invented acertain new and useful 1mprovement in Wrecking Apparatus; and I declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itpertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to wrecking apparatus, and has for its objectimprovements in that class of wrecking apparatus, in which the buoyantpower of air is used for the purpose of lifting sunken vessels, orlightering vessels of heavy draft over shoal places, or for lifting andreleasing vessels from shoalsand bars on which they may have grounded.

The improvements relate to means for connecting the air tanks or pontonsto the vessel, and means for filling the pontons with air, and drivingout and displacing water with which the pontons have been previouslyfilled to aid in sinking them.

In the drawings, Figure 1, shows a part of a vessel with pontons inplace to lift the vessel. Fig. 2, shows a tube traversing the ponton forthe passageof a chain by means of which the ponton is held in placebeside the vessel. Fig. 3, shows a stop and chain guide- Fig. 4, showsan inlet valve through which air is forced into the ponton. Fig. 5,shows an air outlet valve placed on the upper surface of the ponton topermit the escape of air.

A, indicatesthe ponton which I prefer to make square or rectangular invertical cross section, and rectangular in longitudinal cross section,of material sufficiently strong to withstand the pressure-and both waterand airtight. It is provided on its upper side with a man-hole cover 13,the cover being secured air-tight to the body of the ponton. Across theponton diagonally are placed a number of tubes 0, the number dependingon the length of the ponton, and the distance between them beingfrom-fifteen to twenty feet or even more; where the tube passes throughthe shell of the ponton an air-tight joint is made, and the openingthrough the tube is open at both ends. Above the upper and outer end ofthe tube is a hinged stop and a guard shown in Fig. 3. The stop consistsof two plates D, d. One of these plates D, is

hinged to a second plate E, which is bolted to the case of the ponton.The plate d, is also hinged to a plate 6, that is bolted to the case ofthe ponton.

The two plates D, d, meet at the corner of the ponton, their meetingline being on a diameter across the tube 0. Both the hinged plates D andd, are provided with springs, s, that hold them shut; between themeeting edges of the plates D and cl, is an opening wide enough'topermit the passage of a link of the chain K, when presented with itsshortest diameter across the opening from D tod, but so narrow as toprevent the return movement of the same link, when the link is held withits transverse diameter across theopening. It is evident that the chaincan be drawn upward through the tube and the stop butthat it cannot slipdownward through the stop, inasmuch as the adjacent leaves D and d, ofthe stop open outward to permit the upward passage of the chain butclose downward and prevent the downward passage. Above the catch or stopis a guide ring R, supported on spiderlegs r; the use of the guide ringis to prevent the chain K, from fouling the stop. To the upper leaf (1,of the stop. is secured a rope or line by means of which it may belifted when the ponton is submerged.

To the ponton at proper places are secured a number of valve cases inwhich are placed valves, each one of. which is provided with means forholding it in either an open or a closed position, and each one of whichis provided with means for opening or closing it from the surface of thewater when the pon ton is submerged.

On an ordinary ponton I prefer to place one outlet valve at each endthrough which air can escape. The outlet valves are placed on the uppersurface and near the end, so as to permit the free escape of air fromthe uppermost of the two ends, if for any reason the ponton should notbe horizontal. On each end and near the bottom, I place water out letvalves. I prefer to place two such valves at each end of a ponton ofordinary size; in Fig. 1, however, only a single outlet valve is shown,inasmuch as a single valve will show the principle of the constructionof my inven- In operating my wrecking apparatus for tion, and theillustration is rendered clearer raising sunken vessels the chains aredrawn by omitting the second one; the valves thus under the vesselsbefore the pontons are 70 located at the end and near the bottom of thesunk; the pontons are then sunk, and the ponton are employed to permitthe escape of chains are drawn through the chain tubes in water fromwithin the ponton. At the end the pontons and the bottom of the pontonsand near the top of each ponton is'still andrawnincloselyagainstthevesselorasclosely other valve, and to the casing ofthis valve is against the vessel as the surfaces of the ves- 75connected an air pipe P. sel and the ponton will permit; the pontons [oThe valves F and F, for the escape of air are employed in pairs, one oneach side of the permit the free outlet of air, when the ponton vesseland as many of them as are necessary to is above water, and it isdesired to sink the 1 raise the vessel are placed along-the sides fromponton; when above water they are readily the bow to the stern; afterthe pontons are 80 opened and closed by hand, and when below placed anddrawn as closely against the vessel I 5 water are opened and closed bymeans of lines as possible, the air valves on the top of the pon as willbe hereinafter described. tons are closed, the water outlet valves atthe The valve G, permits Water either to flow ends of the pontons areopened, the air inlet into the ponton in the process of submergi-ngvalve at the end of the ponton is opened, and 85 it, or permits thewater to escape from the airisforced into-the ponton from above. Un- 2oponton when airisbeing forced into it, through der the pressure of theentering air, water is the pipe P and the valve H. A section of theforced out of the ponton, and air takes its valve H, is shown at Fig.4:, and it will be seen place until all the water hasbeen forced out,that, on the interior of the ponton there is or until enough has beenforced out to cause employed in connection with the valve H, a thepontons relieved from part of their load check valve 71. to rise to thesurface,bringing with themv the Each one of the valves. employed isfurvessel that rests. upon the chains. nished with means for operatingit from the In using the apparatus for li'ghter-ing pu:rsurface, themeans being substantially simiposes, to aid a vessel that is not yetaground, 9 5 lar in all ofthem and as follows: The valvethe vessel maybemoved toaposition between stem a, passes through the casing and supthepontons that are partially submerged, and ports a cross-bar c, to whichis hinged a pair the. pontons can then be rapidly lifted by of links Z.To the casing 11, is hinged a forked forcing water out from them. If thevessel lever, the casing being located within the diis already aground,the operation would be we vergence of the forks, andaprong of the forkquite similar to that employed to raise a extending on each side of theglobe part of sunken vessel...

the casing. Each fork of the lever L, is in A great advantage attendingtheuse'of this the form of a double bell-crank; one elbow 9, devicearises from the character of the sub is pinned to the casing by a pin g,which forms mergible pon-tons, which can be dropped inthe :05 the mainfulcrum. The. second elbow f, of water to the bottom and left there-incase of 40 the double bell-crank lever is pinned to the asuddenstorm,which would destroy or greatly swinging end of thelink Z. At oneend of the. endanger a fleet of pontons that can only be lever L, is aneye W, to which is attached a used at the surface. And a submerged poncord that extends upward to the place occuton can be readily lifted byany cable that is no pied by the operator. At the other end of strongenough tolift it when in the air; the 5 the lever L, is an eye V, towhich is attached contained water does not add to its-weight in anothercord. On the stem of the valve and ;the water, and of course the weightof the between the casing and the cross-bar c, is a metal casing is lessin the water than inthe coiled springt. When the parts are in the poair.Another advantage arises from the fact [15 sition shown in Fig. 5, thestrain of the spring that after the pontons have once been placed ttends strongly to hold the valve closed, and around a submerged vessel,and filled with the strain of the spring pushing against the airsufficiently, so that it begins to rise, it cross-bar c, pulls the linkI, upward and tends i comes to the surface immediatelyand is held toraise the pin f, and to throw-downward the .in a practically uprightposition while rising, 120 end w, of the lever L; if however the end W,and is in condition 'to be immediately moved 5 5 is lifted forciblyupward the lower end of the Eaway to a safe harbor, whereas with pontonslink, Z, and the pin f,will swing across the fulgoperated at the surfaceonly, or simply sunk crum g, and the pin f, will take a position on afewfeet into the water and then floated by the opposite side of the ping, from that shown ,pumping the water out of them, the sinking i 25 inFig. 5, and the parts will all assumethe posi and floating operationmust be repeated a tion shown in Fig. 4. The strain of the spring]number of times, and if the sunken vessel opt, holds the parts in thesecond position with j erated uponis in deep water many timesbe the samesecurity that it held them in the tfore the vessel is finally raised.first position. This construction of levers is What I claim is+- adaptedto move the valve to either a closed 1 1. Ina wrecking appliance, thecombination or an open position, and the holding spring 25, {l ofair-tightv pontons, chain tubes traversing securely holds the valve ineither of these po- :1 said pontons, means forholdin g chainspassedsitions. through said tubes, an air pipe for conducting air into saidpontons, water outlet pipes and valves in said water and air pipes,means for holding said valves in either an open or a closed position,and means for operating the valves from the surface of the water,substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In a wrecking apparatus, the combination of a ponton rectangular invertical cross-section, diagonal tubes crossing said ponton liftingchains passing through said tubes, and joining the pontons in couples,air inlet tubes leading to the surface of the water, water and airoutlet tubes disposed along the top and ends of said ponton, valvescontrolling said outlet and means for operating said valves from adistance, and holding them in either an open or a closed positionsubstantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In combination with a wrecking device, a spring closed valve, havinga valve stem extending beyond the casing a double bell crank lever,fulcrumed at one elbow to the casing and linked at the other elbow tothe

